Mother Earth’s Garden

Redbud

by Rebecca on July 6th, 2007

I realized that it has been a while since I wrote anything on trees. Since I recently acquired a small shoot of a Redbud tree, I figured this would be a great place to start back up!

Redbud

Along with Dogwood, Redbud is a beautiful tree to have for early spring. It’s small flowers bloom pink to lilac in color along the dark furrowed branches. During the summer it has glossy heart shaped leaves that dangle on long petioles that flutter peacefully in the wind, creating a dancing light show in the filtered shade of the tree. In the fall the foliage turns golden yellow, followed by flattened seedpods that hang on the branches through winter. This is a short lived tree. Usually lasting only twenty to thirty years. So do not plant this tree as a permanent addition to your property, since you will have to re-plant it in a few decades. One of the most beautiful displays in spring is a row of Redbuds in full bloom. They work great as a border to a woodland garden, in front of windows next to houses where it can shade a room and be viewed easily inside or out, and also as the center point for a bed of bulbs or small annual flower garden.

Zone: 5-9

Type: Deciduous

Light: Full sun to partial shade

Size: 20-30ft tall and 25-35ft wide

Form: spreading to rounded

Growth rate: moderate

How to Grow

If cultivating as a shrub border or in a woodland setting, train the redbud to be multistemed by cutting back the central leader of a young plant. This will increase the potential for heavy blossoming. In the open, or next to a house, keep it single trunked for space to garden underneath. Redbud adapts well to any conditions except heavy clay soil, constantly wet environments, or severe drought. Slightly sandy, well draining soil is best. It does have a tendency to grow vigorously blocking shade to the interior. You may have to thin the canopy to allow more filtered sunlight in, and avoid interior branches from dying off. It’s best to plant a Redbud bare rooted in winter in mild climates. For other climates, plant in very early spring or mid fall.

Tid Bits

Common insects that affect Redbuds are Treehoppers and Scale type insects. Both can be controlled by dormant sprays. Dieback, which looks like cankers and cracks on the branches, and Verticillium wilt are two common diseases that attack Redbud trees and can kill the tree. There is no great chemical control for either of these diseases, so fertilize with a high nitrogen fertilizer and remove dead or wilted branches,

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POSTED IN: Trees